Young children are especially vulnerable to reaching up and pulling cooking pots and pans off the stove and spilling the contents over themselves. This safety hazard has been addressed in Canadian patent 721,935. In this patent, there was provided a ring which was adapted to closely encircle the cooking pot or pan. In this reference it was necessary to provide a plurality of rings with different diameters to suit a range of pan and pot sizes. Although the prior art did provide a pair of upwardly directed lugs on the rings between which the handle of a pan could be placed, there was no corresponding handle securing device for a pot.
The present invention thus addresses the problem of providing a safer environment for small children and others in and around a cooking stove, when it is in use, by securing the cooking pot or pan to the stove and thus reducing the incidence of accidental spillage. The present invention further provides a stabilizing means which secures the cooking pot or pan by biasing the same against the cooking element thus allowing the contents of the pot or pan to be stirred, or other cooking operations to be conducted, without requiring a second hand to hold the pot or pan.